Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to a touchscreen panel, and more particularly, to a touch screen panel with a conductor rod pattern (or a lightning rod pattern).
Discussion of the Related Art
In recent years, display devices, such as liquid crystal displays, electroluminescent displays, and plasma display panels, having fast response time, low power consumption, and excellent color reproduction, have been in the spotlight. Such display devices have been used for a variety of electronic products such as televisions, monitors for computers, laptop computers, mobile phones, displays on refrigerators, personal digital assistants, and automated teller machines. In general, these display devices interface with a user through a variety of input devices such as a keyboard, a mouse, or a digitizer. However, using a separate input device such as a keyboard or mouse requires the user to learn how to use it and also takes up space, making it difficult to increasing the maturity of the products. In light of this situation, there is a growing demand for input devices that are convenient and easy to use and can reduce glitches. In response to this demand, a touchscreen panel for enabling a user to input information by directly touching the screen with his or her hand or a pen was suggested.
The touchscreen panel is adapted for use in a variety of display devices since it is easy to use, has less glitches, and enables input without a separate input device, along with the convenience of allowing the user to quickly and easily manipulate it through content displayed on the screen.
Touchscreen panels are classified into resistive type, capacitive type, and electromagnetic type, depending on the method of sensing a touched position. The resistive touchscreen panel detects a touched position by the gradient of voltage versus resistance, while a DC voltage is being applied to an upper or lower substrate with metal electrodes on it. The capacitive touchscreen panel senses a touched position by sensing a change in voltage on the upper or lower substrate when the user touches an equipotential conductive film formed on the upper or lower substrate. The electromagnetic touchscreen panel senses a touched position by reading an LC value induced when an electronic pen touches a conductive film.
Hereinafter, a related art capacitive touchscreen panel TSP will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a plan view of a related art capacitive touchscreen panel. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line I-I′ of the touchscreen panel of FIG. 1.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the related art capacitive touchscreen panel comprises an electrode portion A formed on a transparent substrate. The electrode portion A comprises a plurality of first electrode lines 10 arranged in parallel to a first direction (e.g., along the X-axis) and a plurality of second electrode lines 20 arranged perpendicular to the first electrode lines 10 (e.g., along the Y-axis) to cross the first electrode lines 10. Each first electrode line 10 comprises first electrode patterns 12 and first connecting patterns 14 connecting the first electrode patterns 12. Each second electrode line 20 comprises second electrode patterns 22 and second connecting patterns 24 connecting the second electrode patterns 22. The first connecting patterns 14 attach neighboring first electrode patterns 12 together via contact holes 30a and 30b formed in an insulating film PAS1 covering the first and second electrode patterns 12 and 22.
In this structure, the connecting patterns, especially the first connecting patterns 14, are vulnerable to ESD (electrostatic discharge). That is, the first connecting patterns 14 have relatively high resistance since they are narrower in width than the second connecting patterns 24, first electrode patterns 12, and second electrode patterns 22. When overcurrent flows into the first connecting patterns 14 with high resistance, the first connecting patterns 14 may be damaged and open-circuited. Also, the first electrode lines 10 and the second electrode lines 20 may be short-circuited due to insulation breakdown.
Due to this reason, the first connecting patterns 14 can easily be damaged by static electricity. The damage to the first connecting patterns 14 may lead to a number of problems, including causing the touchscreen panel TSP to malfunction and decreasing product reliability.